Evra: This Isn't The End Of The Empire

May 7, 2012

Some sections of the press have already started talk about United in decline, as they do every time it looks as though we won’t win the league, but Patrice Evra insists that even if City do win the title, United will be back next year.

“I know that if we don’t win the league then a lot of people will say this is the end of the empire and ask how we will survive,” said Evra. “But there is a lot of talent at this club. We’ve had to deal with a lot through injuries and losing experienced players last summer and it’s never easy to find a solution immediately.”

Samuel, Your skepticism regarding Jones is understandable. However, your assertion that Jones can "never" become a mid-fielder is simply mis-guided when looking at history. A lot - and I do mean a lot - of players have undergone positional transformation as late as even in their 30s. Giggs is a solid example of this. So is Scholes though his transformation was much earlier. Those are two that I know of and there are many more that I don't know of. So, your staunch assertion that Jones can "never" be a MF is something I don't understand.

Secondly, no one on here wanted Jones to become a mid-field schemer. You've brought up this point many times and said he doesn't have he positional sense, the awareness or the passing ability to become one. And again I have difficulty understanding your point. Jones was never meant to be a mid-field schemer. Rather everyone wanted him to become a mid-field destroyer in the Roy Keane mould. I don't remember Keano having Scholesesque passing range. I just remember a man who had the drive and passion to run from one box to the another in every match and come up with important goals when needed. Jones has already proven he has all of those abilities. He has shown he can run with the ball and score goals. He has shown that he has great tackling ability time and again. He has shown he has the drive and passion to get from one box to the another. What more do you want him to prove?

For the role we have in mind, he doesn't need to have the passing ability of a Carrick, Scholes or Cleverley. If he did, what are those other players doing in that mid-field. Do you think Gennaro Gattuso could pass like Andrea Pirlo? No! I thought so. Gattuso won the ball off the opposition and did all the dirty work which time and again allowed the genius of Pirlo to flourish in that Milan mid-field. We simply want Jones to become our Gattuso. The only area where he needs to really concentrate is his positional awareness which - admittedly - has cost us some games. But this is something that can only come with experience playing that position which he doesn't have right now.

As Denton has pointed out time and again, that is the type of player we've missed most after Hargreaves and Fletcher. That is the kind of player City have in Toure. That is the type of player Jones can easily become provided he has the right grooming. That is the kind of player Jones proved he was capable of becoming in the two-man partnership with Carrick. Those games where they both flourished are proof again that your notion that Jones can "never" become a mid-fielder is misguided.

Again, Jones could yet turn out to be a great centreback and I would be happy if he became either. However, I will always have a pang in my heart that a lot of his natural footballing abilities will be wasted in that role. Whereas as a mid-fielder he will have the chance to showcase the breadth and depth of his skills. Either ways, no one can argue that this is going to be a special player no matter what his position.

@Jeet - thanks pal.
Yeah, somehow she manages to create a feel that she cares about it. :) When sitting near me with her laptop playing games she asks me a question or two... One of the last ones "when the corner is given".. :)
And she like Tom Krul. :) Used to cheer Newcastle when we played them at OT :)
You know, women are like this sometimes :D

for me, i m not sure whether we shud sign a beasty midfielder or creative or flair..or defensive..

going mad..

I just we will have Fletch back..He is THE man when it comes defensively.. of-course after Carrick who is a very different player compared to Fletch who always goes toe to toe and looks in the yes of the player and pull those balls..

@Corea: I know, man... my wife's best friend is a dipper, and she claims she is a "neutral" because she doesnt understand football (which is true, she still can't figure out which side of the pitch a team needs to score at). What that really means is that she gets to take the piss out of both of us whenever United or pool lose... :)

Sandeep- morning. I am well thank you, how are you today mate?, Just digesting the press pre training session. Yaya is the new massiah don't you know . Give him credit , he's an express train. Could jones be in the same mould I ask myself.

To all those pinning their hopes on Fletcher's recovery next season, DON'T!!!!.

I have a close friend with the same problem. The illness he has is a very nasty illness. There is NO cure to it. There are ways to manage it, but ultimately it's an illness which can drain your physical energy. I'm lead to believe the illness leaves you very tired when it hits. Although it isn't something that affects you everyday, it can hit you without you expecting it to.

The only way i can see MUFC managing it is through his diet. Only until he starts training will we get a better idea. I'm also led to believe it won't affect him whilst he's playing but just the aftermath, as we know, recovery is almost important as match fitness.

Just be cautious and don't raise your hope about him. Fletch looks like he's lost a lot of weight again from the images of him on Sunday. I'm worried for his future as a professional footballer to be honest.

Just wondering, dont you guys find it funny that it's been officially confirmed that Fabio's going on loan and we arent being linked to a lot of fullbacks? Makes me think there's a done deal somewhere and nobody knows anything yet. I haven't seen Clyne but Fryers is nowhere close to a regular first team berth IMO.

@ak47: From what I understand, the diet that a top level professional athlete needs (high protein, low fat) is diametrically opposite to what a person with UC needs. The harsh reality is that that it's going to take a king sized miracle for Fletch to be back. Terrible tragedy. Hurts to think that a young man can't do what you might say he was born to do, what he was best at.

Jeet- it's also the long term implications of both the diet as you specified and the rigours of training / recovery at top level.

Though I bet he misses it badly, the stress and adrenaline high which every player misses once they retire also factors in .

One if the biggest problems for top athletes is the deconditioning phase from years of high level training . He's a man if good character who happens to truly love united. Whatever his decision it must be in his best interest health wise, in my opinion .

AK47- I assume his diet would have to be meticulously followed though I don't know enough about the condition to comment and his recovery rate may be far longer per matches. Possibly his performance would still be outstanding. As I mentioned, we we all would want him to put his health first. Fucking waste if such talent .

How fuck would anyone on here know Jones can't play in midfield? Did you all watch him against Spain? European and world champions! All Fergie needs to do is keep playing him there. He'll get used to it. That is the point though, we need to pick a position for him and stick to it. Playing him here there and everywhere won't help Jones. When I've seen him partner Rio in defense, he seems to unsettle Rio. Maybe his inexperience. His crossing isn't up to mark yet. That can be worked on by the staff. The fact United are supposedly chasing creative players, could mean Fergie has a position in mind for the lad. If Fletcher doesn't recover, we'll need an alternative option. He won't buy that type of CM. What other options are left? And I'm sorry, in the modern game, you need someone sitting in front of the back 4. We have to move with the times. The 2 games against Bilbao proved it.

Willie ... a long comment by your standards, but you said everything that needs to be said, and u said it well. I can't believe people are picking at Jones. You're right, playing Jones here there and everywhere won't help him ... but it won't help us in the long term either. If he is handled properly and given time to grow into it, then this is a guy who will take a game by the scruff of its neck and dominate it. He won't be the creative type. He'll be the warrior type, who will rip the heart out of the opposition. Well, I'm a little drunk, but I do seriously believe this guy has all the raw material required to become a force that others will learn to dread. Put him in front of the back 4, stick a play-maker in front of him and a couple of fast tricky wide players outside. Or, depending on the circumstances, put one play-maker in front of him plus one mobile "energy" midfielder (who can just be a nuisance to the opposition, hound the bastards to death) and just one wide player with a brief to switch left/right whenever he feels like it. Put Rooney and Welbeck or Hernandez up-front and tell Rooney to move forward/back/left/right as needed. Then tell Jones: "get the ball, move forward and wreak havoc." And he will. I feel sure of it.

I don't often come on here and rave about anyone. I've done it with Berbatov, and CR, I guess. But I do feel this Jones feller could well be the ingredient that we've been missing. He's got "the gift", in the same way that Rooney has it: they are natural-born footballers, in the way that Ali was a natural-born boxer, or Buddy Rich was a natural-born drummer. I never had the pleasure of watching Duncan Edwards, but some folk who did see Edwards have compared Jones to him. That's a heavy weight to dump on a young guy's shoulders. But if I understand it correctly, Edwards was of that mould: a pure force of nature. And with people like that, all you have to do is point them in the right direction, support them and give them time. It's not a question of teaching them to play football, because they already know: it's in their DNA.